cities
They Came for the Neighborhood
Although the long-term impact of the ongoing pandemic upon cities remains uncertain, one reality remains constant: housing costs continue to tick upward in desirable urban areas. This raises the twin specters of gentrification and displacement. The causes and connections of these processes have been hotly discussed and debated over the past several decades in both…
New Year, New Podcast
2021 marks my third straight appearance on a New Year’s episode of We Need Some Milk, a podcast devoted to exploring local politics in Massachusetts and New Jersey. (Although this pairing might seem strange, trust me, it works.) Three years running … it’s officially a tradition. The hosts and I discussed the pandemic, cast predictions…
A Paean to a City
The seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic has shredded municipal budgets and tax bases. A regular cycle of news stories darkly speculate as to the health of the American city. Essential services–mass transit, public parks, schools–seem imperiled. The current presidential administration and its conservative allies delight at the situation. At best, the future of our cites seem…